Boot Camp Day Three: Obstacles overcome

Skipping today’s Best Body Bootcamp workout would have been oh-so-easy. I had myriad reasons for not working out.

First, I woke up an hour later than I’d planned to because, after hitting the snooze on my iPhone, it decided not to go off again. (It did finally sound again — after I was fully awake, of course.)

Despite my late start, I was bound and determined to work out. If I didn’t let my cold stop me Monday, I wasn’t going to be deterred by a tardy wake-up call.

Snow in the air ... in March.😛

So I dug my workout clothes out of the closet and dresser, pulled my hair into a ponytail and put on my Nikes … only to open the door to this: A sky full of snow.

Still determined to get in my 20 minutes of cardio, I closed the door behind myself and dropped my iPhone in one of my coat’s interior pockets. Then I set off around the block.

I didn’t even get halfway around before I realized I was not going to stay outside for 20 minutes. The wind howled and my ears were tingling after just five.

It wasn't just snowy, but windy. Ugh.

So I completed one turn around the block and went back inside to walk laps around the island in my kitchen. Even with my roommate’s dog, Cinnamon, at my heels, it beat the heck out of freezing my ears off outside.

With cardio out of the way, I faced another obstacle: Weights. I own a set of dumbbells of varying weights from 1 to 5 pounds … but when I went to the rack where they’re supposed to be stored, it was empty.

Lord knows where the weights have migrated to since the last time I used them regularly. The only ones I could find were these:

The only weights I could find — two pounds each, I think.

Small, to say the least. Then again, given how out of practice I am, they still gave me quite the workout.

I also had no stability ball. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I HAVE a stability ball — it’s still in its box, waiting to be inflated. Knowing that every minute I put off my workout increased the chance I wouldn’t do it, I didn’t want to take the time to blow it up.

Even with those obstacles, I plowed ahead, doing moves with Tina‘s suggested modifications.

The sumo squats were my favorite part of today’s workout. They were actually kind of fun … or so I thought while I was doing them. Now that my thighs are screaming “uncle,” I’m not so sure.😉

Me, red-faced and sweaty.

I huffed and puffed my way through the exercises. By the time I was done, the sweat was pouring off my face again. That’s proof of a good workout, right?

I’m a little surprised by my determination to do this (and I think the Boyfriend is, too). Working out hasn’t always been high on my priority list. Guess the chance to win cash is strong motivation.

Yeah, I have big plans for that grand prize money. I’ll use half to pay for a year’s gym membership and put the other half on my credit card to cover the cost of my RWA National conference registration. I’d love to start hitting the gym regularly again. One of the biggest reasons I stopped working out — besides just getting lazy — was because I had to let my gym membership lapse and couldn’t go to classes anymore.

I’m a social exerciser. I do better in classes and challenges. That’s why boot camp is right up my alley. Even though it’s hard, I’m having a blast.

Robins play outside the window at Starbucks. Hard to believe it was snowing a few hours ago, eh?

Wouldn’t you know it? After I finished today’s workout, the sun came out. By the time I got to Starbucks for writing time, the birds were basking in the sun. (But it was still chilly outside, thanks to the biting wind.)

You know what they say about the weather in Flagstaff: If you don’t like it, wait a minute and it’ll change.

Sounds suspiciously like what they say about the weather in Indiana. Guess it’s something people say no matter where you are.

Before the next scheduled weight workout, I need to inflate my stability ball and hunt down my heavier weights … or head to Target to pick up some new ones. It’s a toss-up which would be faster.

Time to go. I need to brush and floss my teeth before bed (one of my two additional boot camp goals. The other is to track my eats — all day, every day. So far, so good on both counts.)

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Losing weight is easy …

... if you're in a coma, maybe. Most of us have to work at it — every day and every minute. It's not easy to make the right choices, to drink water instead of (diet) soda, pick the grilled chicken sandwich instead of a burger or choose to get up and get moving instead of lounging around in bed. After too many months of making the wrong choices under the guise of dabbling with paleo eating, I've re-joined Weight Watchers (online). My choices may no longer be low-carb or Whole30 or paleo, but the concept is the same: I'm still getting closer to my goal weight one choice at a time.

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Please note that I’m not a doctor, registered dietitian or fitness expert. I'm merely sharing my experiences with weight loss, cooking and life. This is what works for me. That doesn't mean it will work for you. When it comes to your health and fitness, do your research.